Forbidden
by BigLadyPotter
Summary: Lauren is a vampire who runs into James, a vampire hunter. He lets her go. But what happens when she can't stop thinking about him, even though she knows its wrong to love a human, much less a vampire hunter?
1. Chapter 1

I scan over the crowd as I lean against the bar. The mass of people are crowded in the center, bodies moving together to the booming music of the club.

I make eye contact with a guy standing alone off to the side and he starts walking towards me. He's tall, tan, muscular, and quite handsome. Perfect prey.

I push off from the wall and walk towards him. I stop in front of him and place a hand on his face. I lick my lips when I feel the blood pulsing under his skin. "Want to go dance?"

"Sure," he says with a smirk and we go into the crowd and start dancing. There's no reason why I can't have a bit of fun before my meal.

Our bodies sway together as he runs his hands up and down my sides. After dancing for a couple songs, I get bored and decide to make my move. I turn around and press my lips to his, pulling his face down towards mine. He kisses back passionately as he holds my hair in his hands tightly with one hand, the other running down my side, pulling my hips towards him.

After a minute he pulls away to breath. I pull away just to seem normal; I had no need to breath. As I stare up at him, I can't wait any longer to make my move. "Let's go somewhere more private," I suggest and take his hand, leading him towards the door of the club.

We get outside and I turn towards the left, knowing there is an alleyway right there that's perfect for making sure no one notices me. He willing follows me and I can't help but smirk at the innocence of this boy. He had no idea what was about to happen to him.

I push him against the wall and resume kissing him. I don't entirely have to fake enjoying it; I may be planning on having him for dinner, but I like to play with my food.

His hands travel all over my body as I start placing kisses down his jaw and to his neck. I have to stop myself from biting right into his neck as soon as I feel the delicious blood pulsing there, so close to the surface.

I open my mouth and press my teeth to his neck, ready to puncture the skin and feel the warm liquid fill my mouth. But I stop when I feel something sharp press against my neck.

"Stop right there, vampire," the guy says before he spins me around and pins me to the wall, the stake pressed against my neck.

"So you're going to kill me," I say, looking him in the eye. I quickly think through the options I have to try to get away. Most seem unlikely to work. Not with a trained vampire hunter right in front of me.

He doesn't move the stake, but I can see him falter. His eyes show he doesn't have it in him to kill me.

"You don't have it in you to kill me," I tauntingly say after he doesn't do anything for a minute.

He sticks the point harder against my neck. "Oh yeah? You think so?"

"Yes," I reply, staring at him with one eyebrow raised, waiting for his reaction.

"If I let you go, how do I know you won't kill me right away?"

I laugh lightly at this. "You're actually thinking about letting me get away? Why?"

"As much as I hate vampires, I think we shouldn't be fighting like this, vampire hunters like me against you." He moves the stake from pressed against my neck, but still holds me pressed against the wall by his body.

"You're weird," I say shaking my head at him. "Aren't vampire hunters supposed to, you know, kill vampires? Not let them go?"

The guy sighs in noticeable frustration. "Everyone is always telling me I have to kill vampires. But honestly, I don't want to! I just want a normal life."

"You're telling me. The only human who's ever understood me was Caesar." His eyes widen when he hears this and I laugh lightly. "I probably shouldn't have said that."

"Holy crap, you're old," he blurts out before covering his mouth quickly with his hand.

I smile and laugh loudly at him. "You know, for a human, you're pretty funny."

He genuinely smiles at this. "Same to you, vampire."

I pause for a bit, looking at him. "So, are you going to let me go or what? I promise I won't kill you."

"Promise?" He asks hesitantly.

I nod my head at him. "Yep, I'll go find someone easier that isn't a vampire hunter for my dinner." His shocked face makes me pause. "Hey, a girl has got to eat. I'm hungry."

"Yeah I know. But that doesn't mean I like it… Alright I'm going to let you go. But if you make any move to try to attack me, I will kill you." He brings up his stake to emphasize his point.

"Alright hun." He steps back from me and I push off of the wall and jump up on the roof of the club.

He watches me as I start to make my way across the building. "Wait!" I stop and turn towards him. "I never got your name."

"It's Lauren. You?"

"James."

And with that, I take off running across the roof, jumping over to the next building to find someone new for prey, leaving that boy behind. But I have a feeling I'm going to run into James again.

**So yeah this is just a story idea I thought of last night as I was trying to fall asleep and I had to write it today. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep writing it, but let me know what you think. If I get enough feedback on it, wanting to continue it, then I will. Hope you like it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**Thank you to bex and Milkamoo97 for reviewing the first chapter. I really appreciate the feedback :)**

I cut down the dark alleyway, knowing it would get me home quickly. As I pass one of the doorways, I hear someone start moving and sigh as I know it's some thug.

The scent of him reaches me and my mouth waters at the blood available. It takes all my will power to not attack his throat right then.

He grabs my arm and pulls me back. Well, I let him pull me back, pretending to be terrified. Oh how I love to play with my food. The man pushes me against the brick wall of the alley and holds a knife up to my throat, hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. But not that it really matters; it'll heal in a couple minutes.

I look up at him wide-eyed as he laughs sadistically. "What's a pretty girl like you doing walking down an alley at this time of night?"

"I was just trying to take a short cut home," I reply, acting scared.

"That wasn't a very good idea." He presses the knife harder to my throat and I can feel my blood start to trickle down my neck. "Are you afraid?"

"No," I reply simply. Why should I be afraid of some measly human who could never hurt me if I didn't want him to?

He pauses for a second in shock at my answer. "Well you should be," he eventually says.

"No, you're the one who should be afraid." I smile at him, letting him see my fangs. I can see the fear pass across his face for a second before I swiftly push his head back, exposing his neck and bite down on it. The blood starts pouring into my mouth and I moan lightly at the delicious taste of it. He struggles against my hold, but as the seconds pass, his attempts to get free get weaker to the point where he doesn't move at all.

I drop his body to the ground when his blood is completely drained. I step over it and wipe the blood from around my mouth as I continue walking to the manor. Stupid human delaying me. But at least I got a meal out of it.

I get to the end of the alley and walk out heading to the right. Sitting only a block away is the manor, surrounded by the high fence. I swiftly make my way over, wanting to get back before my brother starts getting annoyed. At the fence, I punch in my code and the doors swing open. Walking through the garden, I wave at my friend Gabriella who's sitting at one of the benches reading.

The doors swing open when I walk up the steps and I know that my brother has been waiting for me. I sigh as I see him standing in the foyer, arms crossed as he glares at me. "What took you so long?"

"I was having some fun, ok Kendall?" I sit on one of the couches next to him and prop my feet up on the couch.

"Why do you have blood on your neck?" He asks slightly concerned.

"Oh some stupid human tried to attack me in the alley I was cutting through on my way back from the club," I reply nonchalantly.

Kendall sighs as he sits down on the couch across from me. "Must you always play with your food?"

I think about this for a second before replying. "Yeah. Kendall, we've been vampires for a while now. You know I'm not going to change my ways anytime soon."

"Yes, I know. But I just wish you would get home a little quicker, especially when you know we have a meeting with the council to go to," he says slightly annoyed with me. "So please go get ready. We need to leave in ten minutes."

"Fine," I say with a roll of my eyes as I stand up from the couch and start walking towards the grand staircase. Instead of walking up them, I jump to the second floor and grab onto the railing, swinging myself over.

As I continue walking to my room, I hear Kendall say, "That was unnecessary!" I laugh lightly as go down the hallway to one of the two rooms at the end. What's the point of having all these cool vampire powers if you don't use them?

Stepping into my room, I walk over to my huge closet and throw open the doors. I step in and start searching through the clothes to wear. I pause of some of my dresses from the 1920s, thinking back on that fun time. I keep looking through, trying to find something to wear.

"Wear something nice, Lauren," I hear Kendall say as he passes my room.

I roll my eyes before selecting one of my tight corset dresses I had made to resemble the dresses from the Victorian Era. It's a shame these dresses went out of style, I loved wearing them.

I slip on the dress and walk out of the closet, going over to the mirror. I throw my hair up in a messy bun before wiping off the dried blood from my neck. One of the coolest things about being a vampire was healing super fast.

"Alright, Kendall. Let's go to the stupid council meeting," I say as I walk out of my room. My brother is leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting.

"Finally," he says before pushing off and walking down the hallway.

"I barely took two minutes," I say as I follow him.

"Yeah and that's two minutes too long," he says and starts heading swiftly down the stairs.

I jump of the balcony ledge and land lightly in front of him. "Please. They won't care if you're late. They can't start the meeting without you."

Kendall pauses before walking out the door to look at me annoyed. "Yes, but I like to stress being on time. And they're not going to do that if I don't even follow my own standards."

"Whatever," I say as we leave the house. We walk in silence for a couple minutes as we head to the council building.

"So," I eventually say. "Why are you bringing me to this meeting with you?"

"You're my sister," he replies simply.

"Really? I didn't know that! Thanks for the update!" I say to him sarcastically.

He glares at me out of the corner of his eye before continuing. "As I was saying, you're my sister. Which means, someday you might be the leader of this clan. And it's about time you got over your silly ways and started to learn some responsibility so you can one day run this clan."

"Ugh these meetings are so boring!" I sigh in frustration and pout at Kendall.

"Don't give me that face," he says without even looking at me. I guess that's what a couple thousand years of knowing your brother can do.

I cross my arms and look away from him as we pass another block, nearly at the council building. A guy turns out of an alley way and looks up from tucking something in his jacket. A look of recognition crosses his face as we make eye contact.

I start panicking, thinking James will say something in front of Kendall. I lightly shake my head and nod over to Kendall, who hasn't noticed at all.

James glances at him briefly and I see the recognition pass on his face as he realizes Kendall is a vampire. He turns his head down slightly as he walks past me. His hand brushes against mine and I feel the flutter of paper. I grab it and quickly put it in my pocket before Kendall can notice.

I look over at Kendall and see that he's still looking ahead, not having noticed the exchange at all. He stops in front of the ornate building and opens the door, letting me walk in first. A butler is standing at the door, waiting for us, and leads us to the meeting room.

We walk in, and the six vampires already sitting in there look up at us. Kendall nods to them as he walks over to the chair in the center of the room. A chair has been placed next to it for me.

We take our seats and Kendall starts talking to the council members. I zone out and think about the slip of paper that James gave to me. I discretely put my hands in my pockets and feel over the paper, feeling the indents from letters on it.

I try to pay attention, but most of what they talk about is politics. Apparently Kendall has some plan to unit our clan with the clan in Spain.

It's not until they start talking about vampire hunters that I start paying attention. I listen to what the war advisor Demetri has to say. "We've received new information on the vampire hunters. Their leader is a man named Logan Mitchell." A picture of him shows up on the screen on the one side of the room. "As you know, his group has been increasing in numbers lately. But we've also found out that he has a brother, James."

If I still had a beating heart, it would have stopped as James' picture appears on the screen. I keep my face blank, but inside I worry about the vampires knowing about him. Surely if they see him, they won't let him go.

"Interesting," Kendall mutters mostly to himself.

Demetri turns to me. "Lauren, you've always shown an interest in being part of the Dark Hunters. How would you feel about joining us to help a bit?"

I glance over at Kendall who's looking at me expectantly. It's obvious that he already knew about this and wants me to say yes.

I turn back to Demetri. "Sure," I reply coolly.

He nods his head at me and smiles as Kendall addresses the council. "Alright. Be on the look out for these two hunters. They could mean a lot of trouble for us." He stands up and I follow his lead. "This meeting is dismissed."

The rest of the council stands up and starts to leave. Demetri approaches me though, instead of leaving. "So, Lauren, I was thinking that we should start your training soon. I can start teaching you in two days. Does that work for you?"

"Of course," I reply and smile at him. He has always been nice to me over the past centuries that he has been part of the clan. I glance over at Kendall and see him waiting impatiently at the door for me. "I have to go. My brother is getting impatient. You know how he is."

"Best not to keep him waiting. Which I'm sure you've already done tonight."

I shrug and smile at him. "Hey, I was out having fun. You know me, I like to have fun before I eat."

"Yes I know. Now go," he says, lightly pushing me towards the door.

Kendall starts walking out of the door when he sees me walking there. I take this time to quickly read over the note James gave me. _Tomorrow night, meet me at Basguetti's restaurant. 8:30 pm._

I crumble the note into a ball before putting it back into my pocket. I smile at Kendall as we start walking out of the building, back towards home.

I can't help but be happy about meeting James tomorrow. Now I can warn him about the council knowing who he is.

**I don't know, I feel like this chapter was kind of boring. Maybe not. But yeah, I really like this story. And I have a great idea for where I'm going to go with this :) so let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

I peered over the edge of the roof, looking to see if James was waiting there before I jump down. I was a few minutes early, and I really didn't want to run into any other vampire hunters. James might have not killed me, but I know for sure any other wouldn't hesitate.

I pause as I breathe in the delicious scent from someone that mixes with the smell of the food from the restaurant. The smell is enough to make my mouth water and for me to want to eat again. Glancing back over the edge, I notice a person leaning against the wall.

The person moves slightly and I see it's James. I smile before standing up straight and doing a backflip off the roof, landing right in front of him. He jumps so badly and I start laughing at him.

"That was so not funny," he says as he tries to glare at me.

"Really? I thought it was hilarious. Cleo always thought it was so funny when I did that, especially in front of people who weren't expecting it," I say as I shrug.

"Cleo?" He asks confused as we walk into the restaurant.

I let the person at the front lead us to our table before responding to him. "You probably know her as Cleopatra."

James eyes widen in surprise hearing this. "You knew Cleopatra? Who else have you known?"

"Well I was friends with Cleo, and that's how I met Caesar. Umm, who else," I say as I stare off, trying to think of other friends of mine over the years that he probably knows who they are. "I knew a lot of the kings and queens in England because we lived there for awhile. Oh, I was pretty good friends with William. Helped him write some of his plays and sonnets."

The waitress comes back and we order our food, and James gets spaghetti and meatballs. I turn towards the waitress. "Can I just get spaghetti with butter? And can you make sure there is no garlic in it? I have an allergy."

She looks a bit confused about this allergy but accepts it. "Sure, I'll go talk to the chef and make sure."

I turn back to James after she leaves. "So you knew William Shakespeare, and helped him write some of his plays?"

"Yep," I say and nod my head, smiling. "I came up with a lot of the ideas for them. I haven't seen him in a while…"

"Well, yeah, he's kind of dead," James replies like it's obvious.

"That's what you think," I say, waiting for him to make the connection.

"He's a vampire?" James asks after a minute.

"Yeah. I had Kendall turn him. No way was I going to let a brilliant writer like him die. He still lives in England. I think he's just waiting for a good time for him to start releasing the books he's been working on for all these years."

"Wow, I would love to meet him someday." He pauses to take a sip of his water. "But I have more important things that I need to tell you about."

"Same. You go first."

"Well my brother knows who the leader of your clan is. I'm pretty sure he's planning attack against Kendall."

I sigh as I hear this news. This is not a good thing. "Now would probably be a good time to tell you that he's my brother. Oh and that the vampire council knows who you and your brother Logan are."

"Really?" He asks concerned and I nod my head confirming what I just said. "Great. I don't even want to be fighting in this stupid war!"

"Well you're stuck in it now because if any of our Dark Hunters see you, they're going to try and kill you."

"Same if any of the vampire hunters see you or your brother." He sighs as the waitress gives us our food. "I don't know why we're even fighting this stupid war."

"It's because some stupid humans back during the black plague thought vampires were the cause of it so they started to attack us."

"And ever since then, we've been fighting. It's amazing how a whole war can start over something so stupid. I've tried convincing my brother to stop fighting but he never listens."

"Brothers can be extremely stubborn," I say as I shrug my shoulders. "Just be happy you haven't lived with your brother for a couple thousand years."

"Maybe we could stop them," he suddenly says hopeful.

"Good luck trying to get my brother to stop. He is so stubborn."

"Well just think about," he replies. "I'm next in line to be in control of the vampire hunters. You're next to run your clan. We could do something to stop this war."

"What exactly are you saying?" I ask him, not wanting to completely believe what I think he's hinting at.

"I'm saying without our brothers, we would be in control."

"You want me to kill my brother?"

James takes a deep breath before replying. "Yes."

**Oooo cliffhanger! Lol I had to end the chapter like that. But guess what, I'm on spring break now! So since I'll be sitting around bored for a week, I'm planning on writing up to chapter 5 of this story during that time. Maybe more. Depends on if I get in one of those moods when I just want to keep writing :) so sorry this chapter was kind of short, but I'll probably have the next chapter up within a day or two. So let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"No," I immediately respond to him. "No way am I going to kill my brother. Yeah he can be a real jerk at times, but I can't do that to him!"

I move to stand up and leave, but James grabs my hand to stop me. "Lauren, wait. Please just listen to me."

I sit back in my chair and cross my arms. "Fine. You have five minutes to fully explain."

James smiles at me staying before starting. "So you know how much I want to end this war. And the only way it seems like that will happen is if our brothers aren't in control anymore."

"Obviously," I say as the waitress brings us our food. I start poking at it and take a bite as James continues.

"I know you don't want to kill your brother. I don't entirely want to have to kill Logan either. But think about it this way: it's either two lives now, or many more in the future. Vampires and humans will never stop fighting unless someone does something."

"I agree with wanting to save lives, seeing as many of my friends have been killed over the year because of vampire hunters." I pause to look at him as he is eating his food. "Give me another reason that you think would justify me killing my own brother."

James stops and thinks for a minute, and I know he's really trying to come up with a good answer. Finally, I can see a look pass over his face showing he's made up his mind. But instead of starting to talk, he leans over the table and kisses me.

I freeze in shock for a second, before starting to move my lips against his. Feelings I've never felt for anyone before in my 2394 years explode through me as I kiss him back.

He pulls away slightly and keeps his forehead rested against mine. I get mesmerized in his deep, hazel eyes before he finally speaks. "Would you do it for us?" He asks softly. "Don't deny that you didn't feel something there."

I pull back slightly from him and think about that kiss. I definitely felt something towards him. "I did."

"Then do it to give us a chance." He continues talking but I zone out as I start to feel a burning on my lips. I glance down at his plate and my eyes widen at the food.

"What's wrong?" James asks concerned as I grab my napkin and dip it in my water before wiping my lips, trying to get the garlic off.

"You have garlic in your sauce. And it was still on your lips," I reply before going back to trying to get the garlic of my lips.

His eyes then widen in shock. "I'm so sorry, Lauren! I completely forgot about that!"

The burning lessens in pain, and I smile at him to let him know I'm fine. "It's okay, James. It was an honest mistake. Next time, don't order food with garlic in it if you plan on kissing me."

It takes a few seconds for him to realize I've made my decision. "Wait, so you'll give us a chance?"

"Yeah I will," I say before kissing him on the cheek. I'm going to avoid his lips until I know he has washed the garlic off.

"That's great," he says before smiling at me.

He starts to continue but I hold up a finger to stop him. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to kill my brother for sure. I will do everything to get him out of power, but I'll only kill him if it's the absolute last resort."

James nods in understanding. "That's alright for now. At least we can try to stop this war."

I feel my phone buzz in my pocket with a text and frown. Who would be texting me right now? I get it out and see a text from Kendall. "Speak of the devil…" I say mostly to myself.

'Come home. Now. It's extremely important.'

I look up at James with a frown on my face. "My oh so kind brother Kendall wants me to get home, now. He says it's really important."

I start gathering my things, and look up to see him waving the waitress over. He asks for the check before turning to me. "If you have to leave, can I at least walk you home?"

"Sure," I say smiling at him. "Well you can walk me as close to the manor as you can without being in danger of the guards seeing you."

The waitress gets back with his credit card, and we leave the restaurant. As we start walking back home, James takes my hand in mine. When I glance up at him, he just smiles before turning back towards the sidewalk.

"It's such a beautiful night," I say as I take in the clear sky and the full moon.

"Yeah it is," he responds. "Do you ever miss being in the sun?"

"Not really," I say and shrug. "After the first couple of times of being burned from it, you don't really mind not being in the sunlight anymore."

James is silent for a minute as we continue walking. "You know, I could live with only going outside at night. Or really cloudy days."

I glance up at him a bit confused. "What exactly are you saying?"

"Well if this whole plan does somehow end up working, and the war is over, then there will be no reason for us to not be together. And I'm just saying that I wouldn't be entirely opposed to being a vampire."

"Really?"

James nods his head and smiles briefly before continuing. "Yeah it seems pretty cool, like the speed and the strength. Except for the blood."

I laugh as he grimaces. "Well if you're so confident that being a vampire would be fun, then why don't I just change you right now?"

In one swift movement, I swing him around and press him against the wall of the building next to us. I slowly lean towards his neck, and I can see him swallow in fear.

My lips hover right over his neck, just above where is artery runs through. I lightly press my lips to his neck in a kiss, before I step back and continue walking towards the manor, laughing at him.

"What was that about?" James asks after a couple seconds of being shocked. He quickly catches up to me and walks next to me.

"I just felt like teasing you. I can't actually turn you into a vampire. Only the clan leaders have that kind of power."

"Oh. So, that whole time, you never were going to actually turn me?" He asks slightly hurt.

"Yep. But what would you have done if I had changed you into a vampire?" I ask him as I stop one block away from the house.

"I would have spent every minute of the rest of my life making sure you were the happiest girl in the world."

I smile at his response, and know that if I was still alive, I would have been blushing and my heart would be beating fast. I lean up and kiss him on the cheek. "Well I'll keep that in mind for future reference. But sadly, you can't walk any further, since we're a block away."

"When will I see you again?" James asks concerned.

"I'm not sure. Why don't you give me your number and I'll get ahold of you whenever I'm free." We exchange phones and I put my number in his as he does the same on my phone.

James hands me my phone back and starts to lean in for a kiss. I stop him, not wanting a repeat of last time.

He gets a hurt look on his face and I quickly try to explain. "It's not that I don't want to kiss you. Believe me, I do. I just don't want my lips to burn again because of the garlic."

"Okay, a hug it is then," he replies before wrapping his arms around me tight. I lean against him and take in his scent of some cologne mixed with his blood. It's unlike anyone I've smelled before, and it's intoxicating.

"You smell good," I whisper against his chest.

He chuckles lightly, "Is that a good thing?"

I pull away from him and smirk at him. "It means you smell irresistible." And with that, I start walking the short distance left to the manor.

I know he's still standing there for a few seconds in shock. "Okay then!" He finally shouts. I glance over my shoulder and smile at him before turning to the looming mansion in front of me.

I punch in my code at the front gate and walk in after the gates swing open. I swiftly walk up the driveway, noticing a different car in the driveway. Also, no one is in sight in the yard. Something really important must have happened.

I run the short distance left and open the front doors. Waiting in the main foyer is Kendall sitting on one of the couches with a man who I've never seen before. He's short compared to Kendall and has a Latino look to him. Or maybe Spanish. He's kind of cute, but doesn't compare at all to James.

As I start walking over to them, Kendall stands up along with the mystery guy. "Lauren, I'm glad you're here." The look he gives me shows that he's annoyed for me taking so long, even though it was maybe fifteen minutes.

"Sorry it took me so long, I was out for dinner with a friend."

"That's fine, there's no rush," the guys says, smiling at me. I can tell that he's a very friendly person. "I was having a nice chat with Kendall, catching up on things."

Kendall motions for us to sit down, and I sit in one of the chairs facing the couch that Kendall and the guy sit back on. "So Lauren, this here is Carlos. He's the clan leader in Spain."

"It's nice to meet you," I say cordially, now that I know he is someone respectable and with power.

"You too," he says as he kisses the top of my hand. "Your brother and I have been discussing lately the benefits of joining our clans."

"And how do you propose doing that?" I ask, slightly interested.

Carlos looks slightly uncomfortable so my brother starts talking. "Well we've decided that the best way is if someone important in our clan were to become Carlos' mate."

It starts sinking in as I take in Carlos being uncomfortable, and Kendall not quite meeting my eyes. "Who?"

Kendall takes a deep breath before replying, not looking at me. "You."

I freeze as it sinks in. Carlos glances at me to see my response but I don't let any emotion pass over my face.

"Lauren, are you alright?" Kendall asks after a minute of silence.

It's then that the wall holding back my emotions break and I turn to him furious. "Am I alright? You expect me to just have sex with some guy I just met and bite him during it and become his mate, just for some stupid political reason? Do I not get any choice in this matter?" Kendall opens his mouth to start talking, but I stop him. "No, Kendall! I will not just mate with someone you pick for me! No offense to you, Carlos."

With that, I stand up and start storming over to the stairs. "Lauren, wait!" Kendall shouts at me as I start heading upstairs.

I glare over at him at the bottom of the stairs as I keep walking. Carlos is standing next to the couch, awkwardly watching this exchange.

I get to my room and slam the door behind me, locking it so Kendall can't get in. I go over to my bed and throw myself down face-first. My brother has lost his mind if he seriously expects me to agree to this arrangement. It's almost like getting an arranged marriage, except you have to be with this person for the rest of eternity. No way am I agreeing to that with some stranger.

I turn my head to the side and grab my phone out of my pocket. I start texting James, having made up my mind about this situation after what Kendall wants me to do. No brother should ever force their sister to do that. It shows how little he cares for me and just wants to keep in power. And he's never going to change.

'Okay, I've changed my mind. I'll kill my brother.'

**Oh snap. This chapter is just all full of drama. So apology time for not writing a new chapter sooner. I was busy last week with a huge amount of break assignments. And then on Friday I went to Florida for 5 days for my cousin's wedding. It was seriously the cutest thing ever. I know you probably don't care, but whatever lol. And then this past week I had a lot of work to make up with like no time, and I got so little sleep. So I really didn't have time to write.**

**This brings me to my next point. I'm going to take a little break from writing. It's only going to be for the next couple of weeks. It is just going to be too busy for me to write. This Wednesday I leave for a band trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee. I'll be gone until Sunday, so I really won't have time to write then. But the main reason for the break is because I have 3 really important tests coming up: SATs on May 5****th****, AP US History exam on May 11****th****, and AP Biology exam on May 14****th****. So yeah, I really need to focus on studying for those. I need to do well.**

**So sorry for the break in my writing. I promise you I will start writing again after May 19****th****, because that's when my prom is. After that, I won't have much to do until my final exams in June, but those are a joke and super easy. Please don't give up on my stories. I promise you I will be continuing them. I just have to make studying a priority right now.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

I throw the trainer down on the mat again for the fifth time in a row before turning towards Demetri and crossing my arms in annoyance. "Can I go now?"

He glances over at the trainer as he stands up and rubs his shoulder. "I suppose you've had enough training for today."

I don't wait for him to say anything else before turning towards the door and throwing it open, feeling relief at the rush of cold air. As I start walking across the lawn to the front gate, I try to figure out when exactly I stopped supporting the ideas instilled in me my whole life. Normally I would have been absolutely thrilled to be training with Demetri. But not now that James has entered my life.

I walk through the gate and start making my way down the familiar streets to where the one person I can talk to about anything lives. After walking for five minutes, I knock on the door and hear someone run towards the door before it swings open. "Lauren! I wasn't expecting you!"

I smile up at Hannah as she steps aside so I can walk in. "Yeah well I've had a lot on my mind lately."

She leads me into the kitchen and I sit at the table and watch as she searches through the cabinets. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"I'm fine, Hannah. Thanks though."

She grabs a cup from the counter before walking over and sitting across from me. "So what's going on? How's your brother Kendall doing?"

I can see the longing look in her eyes and know that no matter what she says she still has feelings towards him. Still wishes she could have been with him under different circumstances. If he wasn't a vampire and she wasn't a werewolf.

"He's actually one of the main reasons I came here to talk to you."

Hannah sighs and rolls her eyes, just like she's done for centuries when Kendall has done something stupid. "What did he do this time?"

"It's not so much what he did, but what he wants me to do," I say carefully as I watch her reaction. She looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to explain further. "He wants me to become the mate of the Spanish clan leader, Carlos."

She squeals in excitement and claps her hands together. "It's about time you found someone to be your mate! You've only been single for over a thousand years." I glare at her over the age comment and she clears her throat. "So why is this a problem?"

I look around the room, anywhere but her before replying. "There's this guy I met a week ago."

"So Kendall doesn't want you to be with him?" she asks and continues before I can answer. "Let me guess, he's a roaming vampire? Or maybe from Italy. I know Kendall doesn't like Italian vampires after the whole Rome thing."

"Hannah," I try to interrupt her.

She gasps and stares at me. "He's not a werewolf, is he?"

I scoff at her assumption. "No he's not. It's much worse."

Hannah gestures for me to continue. "He is a human who's brother is the leader of the vampire hunters."

She gasps and stares at me in shock. "Shut up. No way!"

"It's true," I say reluctantly, realizing just how bad that sounds. "But he's totally against killing vampires," I add quickly before she can freak out.

Hannah sits there and stares at me for a minute, thinking through things. "What did your brother do about it?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. He doesn't know James is the reason I refuse to mate with Carlos."

"Well what are you going to do? You're not going to be able to hide this from Kendall forever."

"I know that." I sigh as I think about what James wants us to do and know that Hannah isn't going to like it. "James has a plan for how we could be together. Only thing is we have to get both of our brothers out of power."

"How are you going to do that? There is no way Kendall is going to give up his leadership."

I sigh and look down, not knowing how to say what James' plan is, since I haven't fully accepted it yet myself. "We might have to kill them."

"No," Hannah says right away and shakes her head. "You can't kill Kendall."

"So you want me to become the mate to a total stranger instead of someone that I might love? Thanks Hannah." I stand up in anger, getting ready to leave. "You need to get over your crush on Kendall. It's never going to happen. Besides, shouldn't you be focusing on Dave?"

I start to walk over to the door and pause with my hand on the doorknob when Hannah speaks up. "I won't tell Kendall. And you're right."

I turn and smile slightly before leaving, heading back home. Even though I would have to face Kendall at home, I couldn't meet up with James too often and have Kendall start getting suspicious.

Entering the house, I'm able to make it upstairs and almost into the safety of my room before I hear some call my name. I sigh as I turn to face Kendall.

"Will you please come talk to me?" He asks from the doorway to his room.

I scowl before entering the room, knowing that he's the clan leader and I have to do what he says.

He shuts the door before turning to look at me. I cross my arms and wait for him to speak. "Why don't you want to be with Carlos?"

"I don't even know him. How can you expect me to be bound to someone for all eternity when I don't know anything about him?"

"It wouldn't have to be right away," he says hesitantly. "But he really does like you. And it wouldn't be a good idea to get a powerful clan leader like him mad at you."

I sit down on the edge of his bed and glare at him. "You mean it would help you out with stupid vampire politics if I did this. Did you even stop to consider what my opinion might be?"

"I did…" Kendall replies but I can tell that he's lying to me.

"I would like to have my mate be someone who I actually love, not some stranger." I stand up and try to walk past him. "You're such a nice brother," I mutter sarcastically under my breath.

I feel my arm pulled back and I'm forcefully turned around before feeling a sting across my cheek. Kendall is standing there glaring at me, holding my arm painfully tight. "Don't ever talk to me like that unless you want to live the rest of your life as an outcast from our world."

I gasp at what Kendall just did, unable to believe that my own brother just slapped me. Realization crosses his face over what he did, but it's too late. I pull my arm away from him easily before quickly turning and leaving the room, desperate to get out of the house and as far from Kendall as I can.

"Lauren, wait!" I hear Kendall shout down the stairs as I throw open the front doors and storm out, not turning back to spare him a glance.

As I leave the place that I've called home for years until recently, I don't hear anyone following me. I get in my car and fly out of the driveway, not caring at all about how fast I'm going.

I drive to the one safe place I've kept hidden from Kendall and everyone for whenever I need to get away from everything. As I park the car in the driveway to the small house on the outskirts of town, I pull out my phone to call the one person who can comfort me.

"Hey, Lauren. What's up?" James says happily when he answers.

I take a shaky breath before responding. "You know that house I told you about? Well could you meet me here?"

"Of course. Is everything okay?" He asks, voice full of concern.

"I'll explain everything when you get here."

I hear a car start through the phone before James replies. "I'll be right there. I promise."

**Okay apology time. Sorry for having deserted this story for months. I just quite honestly lost interest in it. But I'm going to try to finish it. I don't think it's going to be a very long story.**

**So I don't know if you care or not, but I just went to a BTR concert and met the guys yesterday. BEST. DAY. OF. MY. LIFE. So like after every concert, I have an urge to write. It's probably part of my post concert depression. So that's why I finally wrote this :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

I hear a car door slam shut from outside the house and familiar footsteps walk towards the door. There's a slight pause before the person knocks. "Come in," I say to them from the kitchen right off of the main hallway.

The door swings open quietly and I hear soft footsteps approaching. I can hear James' heartbeat just before his scent reaches me as he rounds the corner into the kitchen. I take a deep breath, enjoying the smell that is purely James; nothing in the world can compare to him.

I can see the worry in his eyes as he looks at me before sitting down at the table across from me. "So what happened?"

"My brother is uncaring about me. That's what happened." James looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to explain further and I sigh. "He hit me, because I refuse to become Carlos' mate."

I point to my cheek where there is still a mark and James gasps. "But, he's your brother. How could he do that?"

I shrug my shoulders before replying. "I've been thinking about it and I think he started to not care about me as much a couple hundred years ago. This just proved that he is more worried about power than family."

James stands up and walks around the table and embraces me in a tight hug. My head rests perfectly against his shoulder, as if this was the place I was meant to be. I wrap my arms around his waist and let the tears fall.

Never would I have thought that I would find comfort with a human. I had long since given up my human life. Yet here I am, wrapped in the comforting embrace of James, finally feeling like I have a place where I belong.

James gently places a hand under my chin and lifts my head up so that I'm looking at him. I get lost in his hazel eyes for a minute before he speaks up. "Forget about him. You have me now."

I feel myself nod in agreement before leaning in and catching his lips in a light kiss. James quickly deepens it by pulling me closer to him. I put my arms around his neck and tug lightly at his hair.

James trails kisses down my jaw and to my neck and I gasp when he lightly bites down. It's then that I realize that I want, no need, more of him.

As he moves to return to my lips, I pick him up easily and run down the hall incredibly fast and enter the room at the end. When I set him down, he raises his eyebrows at me in surprise.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to carry you?" James asks with a light chuckle.

"Become a vampire and as strong as me and then you can."

"Gladly," he whispers before kissing me again with new passion. He walks me backwards until the back of my legs hits the bed and we fall onto it, never breaking the kiss.

James pulls away and I stare up at his eyes, so close to mine. "I love you Lauren."

"I love you too, James," I whisper before leaning up to resume kissing him.

~BTR~

I wake up with a smile on my face, not entirely believing that last night really happened. But I move my head closer to James and take in a deep breath and know I didn't imagine it.

I breathe in James' scent and sigh in contentment. He smells delicious; not the I-want-to-suck-all-of-your-blood delicious. But more like he was the best smelling perfume in the world.

I lay there content for a few minutes before the smell of burning flesh invades the smell of James. Pain registers not even a second later and my eyes shoot open as I roll off the bed quickly, trying to escape the sun hitting my skin. Sun now hits my face, and I use my arms as cover before rolling under the bed.

I sigh in relief at not being in pain anymore as I hear movement on the bed directly above me. "What happened?"

"Sunlight hit my arms and I was starting to burn."

James face appears upside down on the side of the bed as he gives me an incredulous look.

"What?" I ask him in confusion.

"I didn't say anything, yet you responded…"

"Oh yeah, I can hear some of your thoughts now that you're my mate." James eyes widen at this and I sigh. "If you'll shut the blinds I'll explain everything."

James' head disappears to be replaced by his feet shortly before he stands up and walks across the room. I can see the sun disappear on the floor as he shuts the blinds, and rolls out from under the bed as soon as I'm not in danger.

I sit down and look at James expectantly, who's standing in front of himself trying to cover himself up. "Really James? You're my mate now. You really don't have to worry about standing naked in front of me."

He takes a deep breath. "I'd just feel a bit more comfortable with some pants on."

I shrug and he goes to grab his boxers that were thrown across the room. I'm surprised I didn't rip them completely apart. As he stands up, now clothed, I look at the bite mark on his neck with blood dried around it and I can't help but smile a bit. Now everyone will now that he's mine.

"So… questions?" I ask him after he just stares at me for a minute.

"I'm your mate now? You can read my mind? I didn't know you could mate with a human. Are you not my mate since I'm not a vampire?" James blurts out suddenly in one breath.

I laugh lightly before answering his questions. "Yes, you're my mate now. I can read you mind at times and feel your emotions because you're my mate. I didn't know a human could be my mate either." I pause in answering so he can take it in before the last answer. "And I guess it's up to you when you become a vampire if you make the choice to mate with me."

He nods in understanding. "Sweet! So what am I thinking right now?"

I smile and chuckle before replying to his question. "You're thinking that you can't wait to become a vampire, just so you can mate with me."

James smiles and blushes lightly at this as he shrugs his shoulders. "It's true. So what else should I know?"

"Mating is permanent. So we'll have this bond for eternity. I'll never have another partner besides you." At seeing James' shocked face as he takes this in, I stand up and walk over to him. I place both hands on his face and make him look at me. "I love you James. Nothing will change that."

James wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close before leaning in to kiss me lightly. "I love you too," he whispers against my lips.

He pulls away and smiles at me. "Now, let's go turn me into a vampire so I can enjoy being with you fully!"

I laugh and shake my head at him. "You do realize I can't do that, right? Not until I'm clan leader."

"Then let's go make you clan leader," he says like it's the obvious answer.

I shrug before moving to get dressed. I stand fully clothed before he's even gotten his pants on. "That's not fair. I want cool speed," he says with a pout.

I run over and kiss him quickly. "Don't worry, you will soon."

I take my phone out of my pocket as he gets dressed and find 20 missed calls and several texts, all from my brother asking where I am. I sigh before putting my phone away, not bothering to respond.

James turns to me when he's dressed and smiles and I can feel his happiness. This is a really weird feeling. "So what are we going to do now?"

"I'm going to head home to figure out what I can do about Kendall. Maybe you should go deal with your brother."

"Sounds good." He pauses and gives me a confused look. "Wait, how are you going to leave? It's the middle of the day."

I walk over to the window and carefully peak out behind the blinds and find that the sky has become overcast, giving enough cover for me to get home safely.

"Clouds are seriously my best friend. Alright let's get going."

I head downstairs, James right behind me. He holds me back from leaving the door and embraces me in a tight hug. My head rests perfectly against his shoulder. "I don't want you to leave me."

"I know, James. I don't want to go either." I rest against him and close my eyes, feeling his presence physically and mentally. I can taste his sadness and also worry. "What are you worried about?"

He chuckles and I feel his chest shaking with laughter. "I can't hide any emotions from you, can I?"

"Nope. And don't be worried about something happening. I'll know if anything happens to you."

James sighs before leaning down to kiss me. I can taste the passion in the kiss and it makes me want more. But all too soon he pulls away.

I bite my lip as I look up at him. I have got to get ahold of feeling all of James' emotions firsthand along with mine.

"Good luck with everything," he whispers before walking towards the door.

"You too, James. Be careful. If you need me, just think hard about me and I'll know."

James pauses in the doorway and smiles back at me before walking out. I wait until I've heard his car start and pull out of the driveway before leaving. I don't know if I would have been able to let him leave if I followed him right out.

I get in my car and peel out of the driveway, not bothering to look. I would have heard someone coming. I start making my way home, going out of my way to delay the inevitable. Surely my brother is waiting at home for me.

I pull into an alleyway in the sketchy part of town, wanting to get something to eat before I head back. I'll need all the strength I can get.

I step out and walk down and sure enough I hear the heartbeat before a figure steps from a doorway. I don't waste any time before I lunge at his neck and start drinking his blood. When the thug is drained dry, I drop his body and start walking back to my car. I wipe my face with my sleeve as I leave the alley and stop in my tracks when I see someone familiar.

"Lauren? Where have you been?" Carlos asks me in a cheerful tone, only slight worry laced in.

My eyes widen at seeing him and I don't say anything. He stares at me before gasping. "Oh my god," he whispers. "You mated with someone."

"Carlos, wait!" I shout but it's too late as he's taken off running, surely to go tell Kendall.

Things could not get any worse.

**I'm really not sure how I feel about this story. I mean, I like the concept and everything, but I just feel like it's kind of rushed. Idk. But I will be finishing it, there will probably be a couple more chapters.**

**Let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

I speed up the driveway and know right away that things are going terribly since there is no one in sight. Before the car even comes to a full stop I hop out of it and run up to the door, throwing it open. Sitting on a couch waiting is the person I least want to see.

"Hello, Lauren," Kendall says quietly and stands up as the door closes behind me. He just stares at me and raises one eyebrow.

I see him take a deep breath before he runs over at lightning speed and pushes me into the wall. "Who did you mate with?"

Kendall speaks in a quiet voice, which is more terrifying than if he were to yell at me. "I didn't."

"Liar," he spits out. "I know you did."

He rips away the scarf covering my neck- thank god I decided to wear that today- and I can see the shock cross his face as he quickly backs away. "You… you… you mated with a human?"

"Yes. I did."

Kendall stares at me like he can't understand this. "Why? You could have mated with Carlos. He would have been a great mate."

"But I love James. That's why I did it."

He just stands there and stares, deep in thought before he gets a smirk on his face. "I won't turn him. And then you'll have to deal with the pain of losing your mate."

I start walking towards him and smile. "That's perfectly fine because I'll just change him when I'm clan leader."

Kendall gives me a confused look right before I jump towards him. I knock him down and land on his chest. He punches me hard and sends me flying back until I hit the wall and fall to the ground.

He stands up and starts walking towards me while laughing. "Did you really think you could beat me?"

I try backing away from him but he runs over and grabs my throat and lifts me up. "I'm disgusted that my own sister would prefer a human over me."

"You don't act like my brother," I whisper before bringing my head forward and knocking into his. Kendall lets go and steps back and I run forward and push him, sending him flying.

I run over to him as he lands and try to grab his neck, but he gets ahold of my arms and flips me over him and into the floor.

Kendall stands up and faces me and I get in a crouch. At this point, the whole front foyer is nearly destroyed from our fighting. But I'll have time to fix that when I'm clan leader.

"Give up, Lauren?" Kendall asks with a smirk.

"Never."

We lunge towards each other and collide, both struggling to gain the upper hand. I finally force him to the ground and hold him down, keeping his hands held in one of mine, the other holding his head still.

"Lauren, don't do this," Kendall says pleadingly.

"It's for the best, brother," I say with no emotion. Years of being neglected by my brother have made this not difficult for me.

"Wait!" Kendall yells before I lean down and bite into his neck.

As I start drinking his blood, I feel a weird sensation moving through me, giving me powers only clan leaders have. Kendall struggles to break free but his efforts stop as soon as his blood his drained.

I pull away and stand up, not sparing Kendall's body a glance. I wipe my mouth with my sleeve as I look around and see many of the vampires in the clan looking at me.

Demetri steps out of the group of shocked vampires and leans down into a bow, respecting that I was now his leader. The rest watching follow suit and I feel slightly uncomfortable at this new attention.

"Demetri, stand up," I say and he listens to me and smiles. "I want you to disband the Dark Hunters and any plans you have against vampire hunters."

Murmurs pass through the crowd and I can sense their disagreement with this. "But they're killing us!" Demetri says in shock.

"Yeah, not for long. See my mate," I pause and smile at the fact that James is my mate. "He's currently the next in line to run the hunters. And he's planning a coup d'etat against his brother."

Relief washes through the crowd as they realize what that means. Demetri speaks up to clarify. "So we won't be hunted anymore?"

"No. Now if you don't mind, I have a mate to go turn into a vampire." I start walking towards the front door, avoiding the broken furniture in the way.

I suddenly gasp and fall over in pain, clutching my stomach. I pull my hands away to see no blood, yet it feels exactly as if I was stabbed. Someone calls out to me and I feel their fear and pain mixed in with my emotions.

"James, he was just attacked," I whisper to no one as I run out the door, desperate to find James.

**Does this chapter suck? Because I feel like it kind of does. It played out much more epically in my mind then how it actually is. But oh well, maybe you think it's good. And yes, I had to leave that cliffhanger for the next chapter. Well let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

A gut instinct leads me exactly to where James is and I run there as quick as I can. I stop in front of an old house on the outskirts of town, and know that James is in there.

I go to the door quietly and throw it open, happy that it doesn't squeak. I feel James' heart beat in my chest where mine used to beat, causing me to pause at the feeling I had forgotten about.

But then I hear a whimper and run into the living room and find James lying on the floor, surrounded by his blood from a wound in his stomach.

Panic runs through me as I crouch down and grab his hand, barely being able to feel his blood moving through his hand. James tries to grip my hand weakly as he looks up at me pleadingly like I'm his last hope.

"James, what happened?" I ask him, trying not to let him see how much I'm panicking over him being hurt.

James tries to speak but starts coughing instead. But I find out the answer through his thoughts.

_Logan._

An unfamiliar scent puts me on guard and I immediately turn around and go into a crouch in front of James. A man that I know has to be Logan swings a stake at me and I duck before pushing him back into the wall.

When he stands up, he glares at me. "So you're the vampire who put a claim on my brother."

"I didn't 'put a claim on him'," I say making air quotes. "And you must be the idiot human who is trying to hurt my family."

He scoffs at this. "You're an abomination. You shouldn't be allowed to exist."

"Well if you think that, then why don't you do something about it? Because clearly I'm still standing here," I tauntingly say.

"Have it your way then," Logan says with a shrug of his shoulders as he spins his stake in his hand.

He moves towards me and starts stabbing his stake, trying to stab me in the heart. His movements are quick; very fast for a human. But I dodge his strikes easily and manage to punch him several times.

I throw Logan against a wall and a large imprint is left in the spot as he falls to the ground. Before he can even think about getting up I run over and throw him over my shoulder and onto the floor.

He gasps on the floor, trying to catch his breath as I go over and kick the stake out of his hand. Logan tries to crawl backwards but I grab his throat and pick him up.

As Logan struggles to get free and tries pulling my hands away, I stare at him. "You're pathetic," I say to him and squeeze his throat tighter and he lets out a whimper. "I can't believe you're related to such a nice guy like James."

Said person speaks up quietly and I whip my head around to look at him. "Lauren, just finish him off already. You've caused him enough pain."

I can see the pleading look in his eyes and sigh before turning back to Logan. "Please don't kill me," he begs as I glare at him once more and his eyes widen in fear before I quickly snap his neck, killing him instantly.

I drop Logan's body and he hits the floor with a loud thud. I walk over to James quickly, my focus entirely back on making sure he's okay. His heartbeat is barely audible and I know he doesn't have much time.

"Did you kill Kendall?" James asks hopefully, knowing if I did I can save him.

I nod as I pick him up and start walking towards the door. "I have the power to change you, but I'm not exactly sure what to do. So we're going back to the manor."

As soon as the door is open I take off running as fast as I can, holding on to James tightly. He presses his face against my shoulder to block out the wind and I can feel his shallow breathing. "Hold on James, we're almost there."

I let out a sigh of relief when I see the ornate front gate with the house behind it. I take a running leap at the gate, clearing it easily because waiting for it to open would take too long. I land lightly and don't bump James at all as I get to the front door.

I push the door open quickly and walk in, shouting for the one person I know can help me. "Demetri! Get here now!" I yell in a panic as I notice James eyes are shut and his heartbeat is very slow.

The familiar brunette who's helped me my whole life is there in seconds. His eyes widen at the site of James. "Help me. Please. I have to change him but I don't know how," I beg him for help, trusting him to tell me what to do.

"Set him down," he says and we both walk over to the couch where I lay James down gently. "Now to change him, you have to give him some of your blood. As a clan leader, you give away a very small amount of your power to turn a human into a vampire."

I nod in understanding and swipe a fingernail across my wrist and wince slightly at the initial pain. As blood starts to flow, I bring my wrist up to James' mouth and force open his lips so my blood can fall in.

After several seconds of this, Demetri speaks up again. "That's enough. Now we just have to wait."

I bring my wrist to my side and press it against my pants, trying to get the bleeding to stop. I stare at James anxiously, waiting for something to happen. But when something does happen, it's what I want the least.

I hear James' heart stop beating and my eyes widen in panic. "No, James, you can't be dead!" I frantically shake him, hoping this would wake him up. But it's no use as his body lays there motionless. "I'm a failure as a clan leader!"

I put my head on James chest as sobs start to fill me. How could I have not changed him? I did everything I was supposed to. And now my mate is gone. Gone forever.

A sudden gasp causes my head to shoot up and stare at James in shock. His eyes open and he stares at me before starting to smile. "Hey there," he whispers.

I know right away that he's now a vampire and I hug him tightly, never wanting to let him go. "I was so scared I did something wrong," I whisper to him as he wraps his arms around me.

"You did everything right," James moves back so he can look me in the eye. "I feel amazing. I can hear everything so clearly and I feel so powerful, like I could just smash that table next to us."

"Please don't," Demetri speaks up as he's walking out of the room. "It's an antique."

I chuckle at this before turning my attention back to James. "So what would you like to do for the first time as a vampire?"

"Well I really want to spend the whole night," James pauses and looks at me confused. "Night? Day? I'm not sure what to call it." He shrugs and continues, "I want to spend the rest of the day with you. But I am starving."

"Then let's go hunt," I say as I stand up and pull him up with me. I smile before I take off running out the door, James right behind me as he keeps up with me easily.

I pause outside of the manor and James stops too. I lean in and kiss him, wanting to show him just how happy I am to finally have him be a vampire.

James smiles as I pull away before I start running suddenly, not giving him any notice. I laugh as he chases after me, feeling completely safe for once. He catches me and wraps his arms around my waist, swinging me around. "I thought I was going to be hunting for something to eat, not you."

I laugh lightly at him. "I guess you thought wrong." I grab his hand and start leading him towards one of the alleys in town. "Come on, I can feel your hunger and it's only going to get worse."

James swings his arm with mine as we walk. "Yum, blood."

I hit him lightly for being so sarcastic. "Hey, blood tastes good! You don't know how many times I wanted to drink your blood when you were still human, you just smelled so good."

"Uh, thanks?" he responds and I laugh. James pauses at the alleyway that I've taken him to and I smile at him. "This was where we first met, right? And you were about to drink my blood."

"Now look who's doing the drinking." I nudge him towards the entrance. "Go on, there's some drunk idiot in there."

As James heads to hunt, I can't help but think about how well things have turned around lately. Being clan leader will be a lot of responsibility, but I'm up for the challenge. And now I can finally be with James without hiding our relationship.

As James walks back over to me, I smile at him before taking his hand, ready to start forever with him. At least now our love won't be forbidden.

**Well there you go, everything is all happy. I wasn't planning on ending the story with this chapter, but it just ended up working well. I had been planning on finishing this soon anyways because I wanted to finish it before I start school on Wednesday. Hopefully you enjoyed this story, even though I've been really bad with updating.**

**So on to the next topic: new stories. I really want to write stories about Kendall, Logan, and Carlos. I always write about James, and honestly I want to give myself a challenge by writing about the other guys. So the next story I'm going to write I already have an idea for and it's going to be about Logan. I have no idea when I'll even start writing because tennis has started and I'm going to have no time between school and tennis. So it may be a while before I get started posting a new story.**

**Also, I'm still deciding if I want to do a sequel for I See Sparks Fly. I'm really not sure. Like I have ideas, but I feel like it would be boring. So who knows what will happen with that.**

**Thanks for sticking with this story and I really hoped you enjoyed reading it!**


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue:**

The moon is high in the sky as I step out of the crowded building. The sounds of laughter and music drift out in the air and I pick them up easily with my hearing. I let out a sigh as I start walking in the gardens around the manor- my manor- and don't see anyone. Moments of peace and quiet like this have been so rare the last few months as I've made the adjustment to being clan leader. There was always something to be done, but at least there are no wars to be fought.

Right after I had turned James into a vampire, we went to each person that had been a vampire hunter in our city. Being a leader has granted me some powers of the mind and I was able to wipe all of the humans minds of all knowledge of vampires. So now our clan is able to live in peace, at least from the humans. There's always the risk of problems with the other vampire clans around the world.

Most leaders accepted me right away, having known me for years already. Others were slightly opposed since I had mated with James before he was a vampire. Surprisingly my biggest ally has been with Carlos and the Spanish clan. He could see how corrupt Kendall had become and welcomed my leadership with no hard feelings towards me. He had even talked to other clan leaders about making an alliance with me. Honestly if it wasn't for Carlos I probably wouldn't have been able to make this transition as fluently.

Being a clan leader really is not as exciting as I thought it would be. It's a lot of politics and boring things. Tonight is just another moment of politics with throwing a ball for important vampires around the world. Normally I would love a party but it isn't fun anymore when I hardly have the chance to dance because I'm talking to people the whole time.

I reach one of my favorite benches in the gardens and sit down in the secluded area and watch the water fall in the fountain in front of me. I smile as I feel James searching out with his mind for me and the happiness fill him when he learns I'm in our spot in the garden. This one little section of the garden will always have a special meaning for me and James as it was the place where I became James' mate. It was his first night as a vampire and we were bathed in moonlight as we completed the bond tying us together for eternity.

"I see we're reminiscing a bit," James says with a chuckle as he enters the small clearing. Even if I didn't have enhanced hearing, I would have known he was there from our bond alone.

I feel his emotions mix with mine as he remembers the passion of that night and I hold my hand out towards him, needing to feel his touch. He's next to me in an instant and takes my hand gently in his and kisses the back of it before pulling me up to him. I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his scent as I rest my head on his chest. "I can't help it. Not when I'm in this spot."

He looks around the clearing before sitting down on the bench and pulling me onto his lap. "Why did you come out here anyway?"

"Like you don't know," I tease him before briefly kissing him. But then I sigh and turn away from him. "But in all seriousness, I just needed to get away from everything. Sometimes I wish I didn't have all of the stress of being a clan leader, but I don't regret the decision at all. Otherwise, I wouldn't be with you for forever."

James gently places a hand under my chin and turns my head so I have to look at him. He simply stares into my eyes for a few seconds before responding. "I know. And I'll always be here for you when you need to just get away from everything."

I lean up to kiss him sweetly, feeling no need to rush the kiss. Why rush when you have forever?

When I pull away, I smile at him before standing up and pulling him up with me. I start walking backwards towards the house, feeling better about facing the other vampires. "Come on, let's go dance."

As I turned around to face forwards, James sweeps my legs up from under me and starts to carry me back to the house. It didn't come as a surprise; nothing really comes as a surprise with our bond unless James tries very hard to hide it. But that doesn't mean I won't let him carry me back. Sometimes it's nice to have someone shower you with affection.

"Hey James, guess what?" I say with a smile as he's walking back. I play with the hair at the bottom of his neck as I feel his happiness and love for me.

"What?" He replies, just to make me happy, even though he knows what I'm about to say through my emotions.

"I love you."

"And I love you," James whispers as we reach the open front door and he pauses to kiss me before setting me down. And in that moment, I know in my heart that it was worth the years of waiting to find James.

**What's that? I'm back with a new part to this story? But I thought it ended! Well, it did, but one day when I was bored I decided to reflect on my stories and decided to revisit James and Lauren and give you an insight as to how their life has been since the last chapter ended. And thus, this epilogue came to life.**

**Just an fyi, this doesn't mean I'm continuing this story, sadly. I would like to continue this story someday, but that time just isn't right now. Not until I finish my other stories and who knows when that will be. So for now, it is farewell to James and Lauren in this story.**


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